Racquet Sports Industry Magazine Names 2012 “Champions of Tennis”

Susan DiBiase, the U.S. director of marketing for tennis company Babolat, has been named “Person of the Year” for 2012 by Racquet Sports Industry magazine in the publication’s January 2013 issue. DiBiase led off the magazine’s 12th annual “Champions of Tennis Awards,” which honors people, businesses and organizations dedicated to improving the sport and business of tennis.

DiBiase, who lives in Golden, Colo., near Babolat’s U.S. headquarters in Boulder, was a former tennis teacher. She also was top 10 in the world in both freestyle skiing and mountain bike racing, and was on the professional mountain biking circuit for 10 years. DiBiase joined the French company in 2007, after stints with the Schwinn bicycle company and Nautilus fitness.

“In the last six years, Babolat has seen a remarkable increase in market share,” says Peter Francesconi, the editorial director for Racquet Sports Industry (RSI) magazine, the world’s largest trade magazine devoted to tennis and other racquet sports (www.racquetsportsindustry.com). “While DiBiase downplays her hand in this, the fact is she has had a major leadership role in orchestrating Babolat’s surge.”

RSI also named winners in 18 other categories for its 2012 Champions of Tennis Awards (visit www.racquetsportsindustry.com for more on these winners):